This invention relates to zirconium alloy burnable absorber materials which are suitable for use as fuel rod cladding tubes and as structural components in light water nuclear reactors (LWRs). Such structural components include guide tubes, or guide thimbles, in some pressurized water nuclear reactor (PWR) fuel assembly designs and channels in boiling water nuclear reactor (BWR) cores. More particularly, this invention relates to burnable absorber-containing zirconium alloys that do not displace fissile materials in reactor cores, while at the same time providing the strength and corrosion resistance required for the specific application at hand.